Find out how popular the last name Lavery is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lavery.

Lavery, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lavery surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lavery in America

Lavery is the 8401st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lavery surname appeared 3,938 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lavery.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lavery to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lavery

The surname Lavery has its origins in Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "labhair," which means "to speak" or "to utter." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive one, referring to someone with a distinct manner of speaking or a profession that involved public speaking or oratory.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Lavery can be found in ancient Irish manuscripts and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a "Malachias Lauery" in 1303. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important historical source from medieval Ireland.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Lavery was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Ireland, such as Antrim and Down. During this period, variations in spelling emerged, including Laverey, Laverie, and Lavry. These variations likely arose due to the influence of local dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Lavery was Sir John Lavery (1856-1941), an acclaimed Irish painter who was best known for his portraits of influential figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another notable individual was Michael Lavery (1842-1904), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and folklore.

In the realm of literature, the name Lavery is associated with writer and poet Maude Lavery (1868-1953), who was a member of the Irish literary revival movement and a close friend of W.B. Yeats. Additionally, Maurice Lavery (1894-1962) was a prominent Irish playwright and novelist known for his works that explored the complexities of Irish identity and culture.

The Lavery surname has also been carried by notable figures in other fields, such as Michael Lavery (born 1961), a former professional footballer who played for various clubs in England and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, Emmett Lavery (1907-1956) was an American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for several teams, including the New York Giants and the Boston Braves.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lavery

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lavery.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lavery was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lavery has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lavery was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lavery, please contact us.

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